Lock-bolt.



No. 642,375. Patented lam 30,1900.

E. P. SIMPSON.

LOCK BOLT.

(Application filed Sept. 23, 1899.]

(No Model.)

INVENTOR Urvrrnn STATES ATENT Fries.

EDVV ARD PERCY SIMPSON, OF OXEN HILL, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO JULIAN O. DOWELL, OF SILVER SPRINGS, MARYLAND.

LOCK-BOLT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,375, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed September 23, 1899. ,Serial No. 731,489. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD PERCY SIMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oxen Hill, in the county of Prince George and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Look- Bolts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fastening devices for fish-plates of railroad-rails; and the object is to provide a simple and eflicient fastening device by means of which the ends of adjoining railroad-rails may be firmly and tightly secured and locked together, while at the same time the parts are readily detachable to permit the rails to be taken apart when desired.

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, in which like letters of reference are used to denote like parts in different views, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of a railroad-railand the fishplates attached thereto by means of a device embodying my invention, the said device being shown partly in section and partly in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a fastening device embodying my invention, the section'being taken on the line 00 a; of Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the parts of the said device; and Fig. 5 is a transverse section thereof, the section be.- ing taken on the line y y of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, A denotes one end of an ordinary railroad-rail, and B B fish-plates of ordinary construction applied thereto for the purpose of securing said end. to the end of an adjoining rail in a wellknown manner, the said parts being secured together by means of a fastening device O, constructed in accordance with my invention. The said fastening device consists of a headed bolt 0, which is preferably slightly tapered and adapted to fit within a correspondingly interiorly tapered tubular part 0, having its exterior of a uniform diameter from end to end and provided with a head 0 having a depression or countersink 0 formed in the outer end thereof. The said tubular portion 0' is preferably split or divided longitudinally into two semicylindrical parts in order to lessen the cost of manufacture, each of said parts being adapt-ed to be formed by swaging, rolling, or drawing out the metal in a manner well known to those familiar with the art of metal working. When joined together, the said parts will form a tube, which may be inserted in the opening through the railroad-rail and fishplates and will be confined therein against lateral separation, while endwise movement of said parts will be prevented by contact of the head thereof with the fish-plate or by contact of the headless end of the tube with the shoulder formed at the junction of the body portion of the bolt 0 with the head 0 thereof and the upset end a of said bolt pressing against the outer end of the head a of the tube. To facilitate the upsetting or spreading of said end 0 0f the bolt, it is preferably bored out or formed with a concavity 0 so as to leave a comparatively thin cylindrical portion or projection, which may be readily upsetor spread out over and against the outer end of the head 0 Within the depression or concavity c by a suitable tool.

As thus constructed the fastening device is adapted to be readily applied by inserting the divided tube through the opening in the rail and fish-plates and then inserting the bolt through the tube from the opposite side of the rail and thereupon upsetting or spreading the headless end of the bolt against the head of the tube by means of a suitable tool or punch of larger diameter than the concavity 0 in the end of the bolt, whereby the fish-plates will be firmly clamped against the web of the rail between the head of the bolt and the head of the tube, and a tight firm joint will thus be secured, which, however, may be readily taken apart by placing a pointed tool against the smaller end of the bolt 0, or by means of a blow with a hammer the upset portion 0 may be readily broken off and the bolt driven out, thus permittingthe removal of the tube and other parts of the joint.

The above-described fastening device,which I term a lock-bolt, is especially designed for use in securing together the adjoining ends of railroad-rails by means of the usual fish-plates, so as to firmly unite and lock the several parts together without the use of screw-threads and nuts such as are ordinarily employed and which are liable to work loose; but it will be understood that the invention may be applied to various other uses, and hence I do not wish to be confined in the application of the invention to any particular use, as it will be found useful in securing together various parts of machinery and separable parts of implements of various kinds where threaded bolts and nuts are objectionable, as will be obvious to persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates. It will also be understood that while the tubu lar part of the fastening device is preferably composed of two longitudinally-divided parts each having at one end a boss or enlargement, which latter formsa head when the two parts are assembled or brought together, it may be found desirable in some cases to construct the said tubular part of more than two similar longitudinally-divided sections. WVhile the bore of the tube and the body of the bolt are preferably tapered in order to facilitate the separation of the parts, it will be understood that the taper of such parts is not absolutely essential and might be omitted. The depression or countersink in the head of the tube might also be omitted; but these features are preferable and desirable in order to secure the best results and in order that the upset end of the bolt may terminate within or flush with the head of the tube.

When applied to the joints of railroad-rails, the device is preferably formed of iron; but for other purposes it may be desirable to construct the same of brass or other metal.

In order to permit the heads of the tube and bolt to be drawn up tightly against the fish-plates or contacting surfaces of the parts to be bound together, the cylindrical or body portion of the tube should be made a trifle shorter than the body portion of the bolt, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that when the tube is inserted through the opening in the parts to be united its headless end may not touch the head of the bolt, whereby when the inserted end of the bolt is upset or spread within the recess or countersink in the head of the tube the two parts will be drawn together, thus firmly clamping the parts to be united between the opposing heads of the tube and bolt.

Having thus particularly described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A lock-bolt comprising a tubular portion having a head at one end, and a headed bolt adapted for insertion in said tube with the headless end of the latter abutting the head of the bolt and the headless end of the bolt protruding through the head of the tube, and provision for upsetting said protruding end against the head of the tube, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A lock-bolt comprising a tubular exteriorly-cylindrical portion composed of a plurality of longitudinally-divided parts having a shouldered head at one end thereof, and a headed bolt adapted for insertion in and to extend through said tube with provision for upsetting the inserted protruding end of said bolt against the head of the tube, and thus locking the parts together, substantially as described.

3. A lock-bolt comprising a tubular portion composed of two longitudinally-divided semicylindrical parts, each having at one end an enlargement or boss, together forming ahead, and a bolt adapted for insertion in and to extend through said tube with provision for upsetting the protruding end of the bolt against the head of the tube, and thus locking the three parts together, substantially as described.

t. A lock-bolt comprising a tubular portion composed of a plurality of longitudinally-divided parts or sections, each having at one end a boss or enlargement which together form a head having a depression or countersink therein, and a headed bolt adapted for insertion in said tube and having a depression or concavity in its inserted end to adapt said end to be readily upset against the countersunk head of the tube, and thus lock the parts together, substantially as described.

5. A lock-bolt comprising a tubular portion composed of a plurality of longitudinally-divided parts or sections, each having a boss or enlargement at one end to form a composite head with a depression or countersink therein, and a headed bolt having a tapered body portion adapted for insertion in the correspondingly-tapered bore of the tube, and having a cut-out or concavity in its inserted end to adapt the latter to be readily upset'or spread out within the countersunk head of the tube, and thus lock the parts together, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD PERCY SIMPSON.

Nitnesses:

OSGOOD H. DOWELL, CHAS. E. RIoRDoN. 

